Articles

There is nowhere like Ashford Castle - and, thanks to an exceptionally talented and dedicated team headed up by Executive Head Chef, Stefan Matz, in the kitchen and Maître d’ Robert Bowe front of house, the dining experience matches up to the magnificent backdrop.
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Since opening in 1994 – well before most restaurateurs in Ireland thought it might be popular or profitable to focus on local produce and traditional dishes – Kay Harte’s café above the English Market has epitomised everything that is best about simple, wholesome, fresh Irish food that has travelled as short a distance as possible to reach the plates of their happy customers.
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As more and more Irish chefs take pride in introducing customers to the foods of their locality, it is especially gratifying to find chefs who have chosen to make Ireland their home expressing the same confidence - while also bringing their own cuisine to the Irish people. Euro-Toques member Jacques Carrera is one such trailblazer...
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Just a couple of minutes’ walk across the bridge and away from the bustle of Galway’s Spanish Arch area, this theatrical restaurant was set up by husband and wife team Michael O’Meara and Sinead Hughes in 2000.
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This beautiful hotel dates back to the 16th century, and is serenely situated on its own 310 acre wooded island (complete with 18-hole golf course), reached by a private ferry.
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Feargal O’Donnell and his wife, Fiona, chose well when they took over a pub in the charming almost-waterside village of Glasson, near Athlone – immortalised by the 18th century poet Oliver Goldsmith as the ‘village of the roses’, it’s a name that’s still well-earned today. The O’Donnells’ informal style, with food that offers a timely combination of gastro-pub and contemporary fine dining in a family-friendly atmosphere, is bang on the nail – and this new venture is already very successful.
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The Winding Stair has been in the news a lot of late and, following the well-publicised problems of the previous owners, the Thomas Read group, Dubliners were delighted when the highly regarded former manager, Elaine Murphy, emerged earlier this year as the new proprietor-manager of this delightfully characterful restaurant overlooking the Liffey. This was great news for everyone who had come to love the real Irish feel of the restaurant, including the way it was expressed through simply cooked local Irish and artisan food – a real ‘good home cooking’ style that was at odds with the cheffy tall food fashions of the day when the restaurant opened in 2006, but is widely appreciated now.
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Just outside Cong, in the Ashford Castle Estate, Lisloughrey Lodge is a contemporary hotel with a lovely Georgian house at its heart and, with views down Lough Corrib, it enjoys one of the most beautiful locations in Ireland. Situated in two rooms on the first floor of the old house, Salt Restaurant is perfectly placed to make the most of the view - just as Head Chef Wade Murphy’s menus make the most of the superb foods that are available to him, including many from the immediate area.
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When his much loved Newbridge hotel, The Red House, was destroyed by fire a few years ago Brian Fallon (of Fallon & Byrne in Dublin) brought the whole team to this well known premises in the attractive village of Kilcullen. Following major renovations throughout, the building emerged with a beguiling interior - a stylish blend of old and new that will be familiar to anyone who remembers The Red House - and a very relaxing atmosphere.
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The Cavaliere family are from Lazio in Italy and, for over twenty years, they have run the excellent and very popular Italian restaurant, Rinuccini, in the heart of Kilkenny City. Situated on smart Grand Parade, just below Kilkenny Castle, it’s the first port of call for lovers of Italian food when in Kilkenny, and one of the joys of this place is that the simplest things are done so well – not only is the cooking excellent (try something really basic like their minestrone soup, and you’ll be a fan for life), but owner-chef Antonio Cavaliere makes it clear that his classic Italian cooking is based on the very best Irish produce sourced locally – and he is proud to shout that from the rooftops. Well, from his menus anyway.
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